When Tom Cruise’s Ex-Wife Said They Separated Because He ‘Had To Be Celibate’ for This Reason

Tom Cruise may be most known for his association with the controversial Scientology sect, but his first wife, Mimi Rogers, was the one who initially brought him there. Following their divorce, Rogers permanently severed ties with Scientology and the account of their breakup is bizarre and filled with speculation. Shortly after the divorce between Rogers and Cruise was completed in 1990, Rogers revealed some intriguing details about their relationship in 1993.

As reported by EOnline, Rogers revealed to Playboy during that time, "Here's the real story. Tom was seriously thinking of becoming a monk. At least for that period of time, it looked as though marriage wouldn't fit into his overall spiritual needs. And he thought he had to be celibate to maintain the purity of his instrument." Not only that, but she went on to say that her own instrument 'needed tuning.' But in his 2013 book Going Clear: Scientology, Hollywood & the Prison of Belief, Lawrence Wright said that Scientology leader David Miscavige subsequently distanced Rogers from Cruise so he could marry Nicole Kidman as per the Hollywood Reporter.

L. Ron Hubbard passed away in 1986 as the founder of the Church of Scientology. The head of Scientology was then David Miscavige, a valued aide of Hubbard. He and his family joined Scientology in 1971, and he progressed through the ranks to become the Chairman of the Board and finally the organization's head. Cruise became the most well-known figure in the Church of Scientology as his movie career took off, and he became close to its founder. Officially, Scientology 'offers a precise path leading to a complete and certain understanding of one's self, family, groups, Mankind, all life forms, the material universe, the spiritual universe and the Supreme Being,' as stated on the website of the organization.  A Daily Mail article claimed that Cruise has a property next to Miscavige's house at Gold Base, the Scientology headquarters. A former personal chef for Cruise, Sinar Parman, discussed his employer's connection to Miscavige, whom he calls 'DM.'

For a long time, Cruise's religion has been a hot subject, and now it has come to light that he is making great efforts to start again. Someone with knowledge of the Los Angeles Scientology community exclusively informed In Touch, "Tom is only in L.A. every six months or so but he used to be such a huge presence among the church community and at the church facilities and gatherings in Hollywood and in Los Feliz and that’s simply not the case now. It’s clear he comes to L.A. when he has movie business stuff to attend to but if he needs to practice Scientology, he’s doing it out of Florida, if at all." According to the source, Tom, who is 61 years old, does not "relish spending his precious downtime with Los Angeles Scientologists".

The insider further explained, "He's got bigger and better things to do. But it really takes the air out of the Scientology community in L.A. that was once his home base. You also see him chasing after women who clearly have no interest in Scientology, which is very telling about where Tom’s heart truly is at the moment. How great for the church would it be if Tom actually dated a longtime, true-blue member? But that’s not what’s happening at all!"

This article originally appeared on 5.25.24